


Special Request

by SUNicorn (Strider_Sis)



Series: Samezuka/Iwatobi Shippy Drabbles [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: Drabble, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 03:09:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4812734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strider_Sis/pseuds/SUNicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka knows when Nagisa wants something from him.  It's in how he says his name.  So when he hears Nagisa calling for him at lunch, he resigns himself and turns to face him head on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Special Request

**Author's Note:**

> Short, dumb drabble written for free69mins on twitter. They keep giving good prompts, and it's such good practice... I can't stop, even though they're technically art prompts.
> 
> This fic is unrelated to the previous two in the series. Please let me know if you spot any mistakes. There might be some slip ups in tense in this one.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

There’s a specific way Nagisa says his name when he wants something.  A lilt to it he can’t quite explain, a lift in the middle, something almost lyrical to it.  Maybe if he were better with words he could describe it with an apt metaphor.  As it is, he knows instantly when Nagisa is going to ask for something.  So when he hears Nagisa call his name _just so_ at lunch, he sighs and turns to face the pleading eyes and winning smile.  His way of asking what Nagisa wants this time.

 

“Haru-chan, will you design a tattoo for me?”  He blinks, taken aback at the request.

 

“Cause I’m old enough to get one now and I think they’re really cool, and Haru-chan is the best artist I know!”  Haruka looks to Makoto, whose expression says he’s already given up.  Still, he sends Haruka that warm smile of his and says, “It could be fun.”

 

“Right?  See, Mako-chan gets it!  Come on Haru-chan, pleaaaase?”  Haruka huffs, and looks down at his bento.

 

“Fine.”  If Nagisa weren’t already hanging off of him, he would have nearly knocked him over in a celebratory hug.  As it is, he squeezes Haru tight enough he thinks he might bruise.

 

“Yay!  Thank you Haru-chan!”  Haruka grunts in answer and resumes eating his lunch.  He’s sure Nagisa will tell him about the design he wants through the rest of the period.  He isn’t disappointed.

 

He starts a draft after club activities that evening, when he’s gotten home.  Nagisa had wanted a surprisingly simple design, despite the length of time he had taken describing it.  So Haru starts with the general shape, slowly etching in the details with the graphite of his pencil.  It would sweep elegantly across the skin and be bursting with life, surprising in its strength and reach like Nagisa’s swimming.

 

It takes a few hours, but he finally finishes the first draft.  Stretching, he looks around his dark room.  He’d zoned out again.  

 

“Hungry,” he murmurs to himself.  His chair slides across the floor as he stands.  He's in the mood for mackerel.  

 

When he showa Nagisa the design at lunch the next day, he's ecstatic, throwing himself at Haruka for another crushing hug.  Makoto plucks the page from Nagisa’s hand to see, an amazed exhale of Haruka’s name escaping his lips as he looks at it.  Rei peeks past Makoto to see, and gasps.

 

A butterfly sweeps over the page, wings beating strongly as it scatters galaxies in roiling waves behind it.  

 

“Beautiful!”  Rei exclaims.  “It’s beautiful, Haruka-senpai!  The strong shape of the wings, the detail of the stars, it’s all composed so carefully!  A true work of art!”

 

Nagisa's laughing happily as he clings to an increasingly more uncomfortable Haruka.  

 

“Thank you Haru-chan, thank you so, so, so, so much!  It’s perfect!”

 

Haru looks down and to the side.  It wasn’t perfect.  There were so many things he could improve.  

 

_'Haru,'_ came Makoto’s voice through his thoughts.  He looks up to meet warm green eyes and a kind smile.   _‘It’s perfect for **Nagisa** ,’_ that gentle gaze tells him.  Haruka’s eyes widen.   _‘Oh.  I-’_  The blue eyes soften with gratitude.   _‘Thanks, Makoto.’_  Makoto closes his eyes, a small laugh escaping him.   _‘Anytime.’_

 

Haru still draws two more designs and colours all three before the weekend.  Everyone seems to still like the first one the best, but he wouldn’t have been satisfied if he hadn’t.  Come Saturday, Nagisa is vibrating with anticipation.  He drags the entire team with him to the tattoo parlour in another town, insisting on their presence.  Nagisa hands the tattoo artist the design with an air of pride.  The man looks at it and whistles.  

 

“This is amazing.  A little ambitious for a first tattoo though.  You’ll have to come for several sessions so that I can do all the details.  Is that okay?”  Nagisa nods enthusiastically.

 

“Yes!  It has to be Haru-chan’s design!”  The man chuckles.

 

“Got it.  Alright, I’ll get this turned into a sticker so we can do some preliminary placement tests.  It’ll take a little while, so have a seat.”

 

By the end of the first visit Nagisa has decided where he wants the tattoo, and the artist has walked him through a consultation while they all look on.  After inking the basic shapes into Nagisa’s skin, he wipes the area and cleanses it, slathering a lotion over the ink on his shoulder and bandaging it.  

 

“Alright, that’s it for now.  Apply the cream I gave you twice daily and be careful not to put too much pressure on it.  No swimming until it’s complete and healed, okay?”

 

Nagisa nods.  “Okay!”  Once he’s put his shirt back on, he skips over to where his friends were waiting, wincing a little when the movement jolts the tender skin.  Okay, smoother movements.  

 

“All done!” he chirps.  “I come back in two weeks for more detail work and colours!”  The group smiles at him, Rei starting to ask questions as they leave the shop, Makoto and Haruka following behind.

 

It takes four visits before the tattoo is done, and several weeks after that for it to heal.  Nagisa is stuck with additional physical training instead of swimming for months on end, and Haruka doesn't know how he can stand it.  Probably with a lot of interventions from Makoto.

 

He isn’t allowed to see the finished work until it's completely healed either.  Nagisa keeps it covered constantly, insisting that Haru can only see it when it is at it’s absolute best.  Finally, the first day Nagisa is allowed back in the pool, he sees it.

 

The artist responsible had recreated it beautifully, and Haruka feels a swell of unexpected emotion upon seeing his work sweeping over Nagisa’s skin.  Reaching out, he brushes his fingers over an inked wing as Nagisa is digging in his bag for his goggles.  Yelping at the unexpected touch, the smaller boy jumps and spins around to see Haruka, an expression of surprise on his face.  He’d been so entranced by the tattoo, he hadn’t realized what he was doing.  Nagisa beams at him, and turns back around so Haruka can look again.

 

“Isn’t it great, Haru-chan?  I told you it was perfect!”  Haruka nods.  “It looks good.”

 

“I know, right?!  The tattooist said you were really good!  He said if you wanted to, you could become a tattooist too!”

 

Haruka reaches out to touch the butterfly again, tracing the waves behind it.  _'A tattooist, huh?'_

 

Nagisa gasps.  “Haru-chan, are you considering it?!”  Haruka shrugs and steps back, his hand falling to his side.  

 

“Come on, let’s go swim.”  Nagisa’s face lights up, and he hurries to follow Haruka out into the pool. 


End file.
